05 Nov 08 Alfred Hitchcock
Saboteur is one of his more popular, later films that you might recognize him from. Perhaps you’re even indirectly familiar with his films through spoofs like High Anxiety. You owe a debt of gratitude to Alfred Hitchcock, however, if you enjoy films fillled with drama.
The great director, Alfred Hitchock, began his career as an advertising designer and a draftsman. Due to his aptitude and interest in movies, he was a success designing title cards for silent movies.
Before becoming a director, Alfred Hitchcock was a writer of silent films such as Three Live Ghosts and Love’s Boomerang in Great Britain and Germany. In 1925, he made his mark with the film, The Pleasure Garden, where he finally got the chance to act as director. He continued directing other silent movies. It was immediately evident he was skilled at story telling with unique camera work.
Some of his earlier works, unfortunately, have been lost completely or there are only parts of them known to remain.
Sound made it possible for him to enrich his film making. Many of his earlier films were produced in Britain. His success with these early ‘talkies’ gave him the resources to perfect his art.
Perhaps Alfred Hitchcock is known best to the current generation for the remakes of his films. There have been several box office hits as a result of his later films being remade.
If you get the chance to watch one of Hitchcock’s films, be sure to watch for him. He often made cameo appearances of some type in his films. Here are a few examples:
* Foreign Correspondent made in 1940 where he is seen after Joel McCrea leaves his hotel, wearing a coat and hat and reading a newspaper
* The Wrong Man made in 1956 where he is seen in silhouette narrating the film’s prologue
* Stage Fright made in 1950 where he is seen turning to look back at Jane Wyman in her disguise as Marlene Dietrich’s maid
* Shadow of a Doubt made in 1943 where he is seen on the train to Santa Rosa, playing cards
10 Oct 08 Why There Are Free Podcasts
Podcasting, unlike other media forms, almost never has charges for services, and the vast majority of feed producers distribute free podcasts. This puts at odds with, say, online radio stations, news sites that offer media to subscribers, or the online music industry general. Even though podcasting has very direct correlations with industries like news and music that have strong business models, podcasting differs. Podcasting does not really have a business model, and hardly anyone is podcasting in order to profit from it. There are some businesses and news sites that podcast, but they do it as a way to supplement their companies and to gain technological geek credibility, not to make money. This is an odd thing, but explainable in light of what podcasting is.
The free podcast problem is not difficult, and podcasting differs in several key ways from other media areas. First, podcasting involves the physical transfer of a file from the host to the users computer. An online radio station does not do this; all that they provide to their listeners is a streaming sound file that cannot be saved without difficulty and work. If someone did manage to do so, the station would have strong grounds for suing them since they were never given the rights to keep and store the files. By podcasting the complete file to the users computer, express permission is granted the user to copy and use as they wish. Second, the podcasts are, for the most part, made by individuals who have low costs involved in creating and distributing the files, as opposed to a news broadcast or song by a music company. These individuals have little reason to charge for their work since there is little cost to them to do so. Because the files are distributed in a way allows their copying and does not control the media, and since podcasting is a very low cost media outlet, feed producers have little reason or ability to charge for their work.
06 Oct 08 UNDERWATER DIGITAL CAMERA: CAPTURING MOMENTS UNDERWATER
Memories are created just about anywhere. And when I say anywhere, I mean that memories are even created underwater – so the creation of underwater digital camera.
An underwater digital camera is not just used to capture underwater memories; some professional marine photographers also use underwater digital cameras in their business. Even marine biologists and scientists use underwater digital cameras to capture marine life and thus be able to study the life and properties of the marine life. But I think it is safe to assume that you, my reader, are neither a marine scientist nor a professional photographer. Like me, you are just some photo junkie who wants to capture underwater moments and just cant figure out how without ruining your cameras.
Please listen to me when I say that even waterproof cameras cannot withstand underwater photography. To be waterproof is to resist the water in certain levels, submerging in under the water to get the perfect shot is like throwing it out of the window expecting a pick-up truck to pass by and run over it.
Now if you’re really serious about using an underwater digital camera to capture those wacky and funny moments underwater, I suggest that you buy specialty cameras.
There are rarely underwater digital cameras, as cameras are electronic and cannot withstand water and water pressure. The closest electronics has ever got to producing underwater digital cameras are producing underwater casings for digital cameras. These casing will turn your conventional digital camera into an underwater digital camera.
If you are shooting with your underwater digital camera, you need to take note of a few things to help you come up with the best images underwater.
Remember that as you farther under water, light diffuses. This means that your underwater digital camera will produce images darker than those images you took while on land – this is because of the light diffusion the red spectrum seems darker. To avoid this, use white balance come up with natural colors. Also, pictures taken underwater will come up larger than pictures taken on land with the same zoom effect. Be sure to check your underwater digital camera’s viewfinder to check the right picture angle and size that you want.
An underwater digital camera with its built-in flash will produce marine show phenomenon. It is a phenomenon wherein your pictures come out as blurry and with white particles floating above it, to avoid this phenomenon it is advisable to use external flash for your underwater digital camera.
Before using your underwater digital camera, submerge the camera in the water first for several seconds then check if there are leaks through the case. Make sure that no grain of sand or piece of hair is stuck in between the seal to make sure that water will not permeate the case and thus wet your camera in the process. It is also advisable to put silica gel or two inside the case of your underwater digital camera as long as they don’t disturb the camera’s operation. (Silica gel will keep the moisture from forming inside your camera case.)
Most underwater digital cameras come with optional lenses. Don’t be afraid to add these lenses to your underwater digital camera kit. Macro lenses will help you capture small things without getting too close and startling your subject.
Also, remember to always wash of salt when you’ve used it under salt water. If the salts are not washed off, in time they will crystallize; act as sands and cause leaks for your camera case. In cases when sands seem to get into the case, they are better washed off with streams of water.
Check out Sony, Nikon and Canon’s website for available underwater cases for your digital cameras.
